"Life might be a race against time, but it is enriched when we rise above our instincts and stop the clock to process and understand what we are doing and why." —Frank Partnoy

(Marlee Smith/CHSAANow.com)

It’s March—a time when basketballs fill the court and even the most stalwart have abandoned their New Year’s resolutions.

This is March Madness.

QUICK FIXES, QUICK FAILURES

After losing 20 pounds on a six-week smoothie-based eating program, my friend Tom said to me, “I don’t know what to do now for my regular daily eating.” History suggests that Tom may rely on convenience foods for daily fare and quickly regain weight, lose energy, and become discouraged. Another friend, Sandra, dropped out of yoga during her third week of class in 2020.

Enthusiasm generally accompanies a decision to pursue a new health goal. We’ll gather information on the latest health trend from YouTube, classes, a hired instructor, and books. Early successes are thrilling, but inevitably progress slows. It becomes apparent that right action, diligent effort, and time will be necessary for us to attain and sustain our targeted health goal.

A BETTER WAY

Most efforts to improve health and well-being fall short of our expectations. This highlights the fact that we need to find better means for attaining and sustaining high levels of health. We have come to expect life to be easy, what often works best (and what we often feel best about) we accomplish through effort.

Those who succeed in gaining high health follow effective methods that when learned and applied over time enhance health, energy, and capacity in life’s physical and non-physical dimensions.

SMALL STEPS LEAD TO BIG RESULTS

We have come to expect things to be easy, yet the things we feel the best about are those that we accomplished through endeavor and effort.

The encouraging news is that any effort made in cultivating health is beneficial. Small steps yield immediate benefits and, if repeated over time, deliver larger results. As George Leonard writes in Mastery, we position ourselves for rich rewards “when we take our time and focus in depth, when we trust that going through a process of months or years will bring us mastery.”.

Attaining and maintaining high capacity and high health provides immense benefits. It also costs much less in time, money, and effort than trying to restore health once it is lost.

The lighthearted video below encourages us all to abandon the madness and pursue greater levels of mastery. Please enjoy it, and share it freely.

Joyce M. Young, MD, MPH
Managing Director, Advanced Wellness Systems

“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.”  —Earl Weaver

Sincerely,
Your colleagues at Advanced Wellness Systems